What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.3%).

Jefferson has the most affordable homes ($187k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Windham	Jefferson
People
Population	1,432Highest	1,226Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.3%Highest NY: +4.2%	-5.5%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	56.5±5.1Highest 42% above NY	53.9±5.2Lowest 35% above NY
	Windham and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.1%±4.4Lowest NY: 20.5%	12.2%±3.4Highest NY: 20.5%
	Jefferson and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.4%±5.2Highest NY: 17.9%	30.8%±6.2Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Windham and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.8%Highest NY: 40.2%	29%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.6%±5Highest NY: 7%	1.3%±1Lowest NY: 7%
	Windham and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,477±$17kHighest 11% below NY	$67,083±$9kLowest 22% below NY
	Windham and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$315,600±$74kHighest 26% below NY	$186,900±$42kLowest 56% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$850±$295 48% below NY	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,363Lowest 49% below NY	$3,602Highest 45% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.9%±35.7Lowest NY: 52.1%	100%±100Highest NY: 52.1%
	Jefferson and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Lowest NY: 14%	11.5%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Lowest NY: 54.3%	94%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 26 yrs newer than NY	1978Lowest 19 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 18% below NY	32 minHighest 3% below NY
Work from home	17.1%±6.9Lowest NY: 14.9%	23.6%±10.3Highest NY: 14.9%
	Jefferson and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.